1. Liam Sheedy
The appointment of Liam Sheedy would no doubt excite Dublin supporters and give a real lift to hurling in the county. The ex-Tipperary manager spends most of his time in the capital as the national head of sales and revenue for the Bank of Ireland.
Sheedy hasn’t trained a team at a serious level since 2010 when he led his native county to the Liam McCarthy cup after defeating the five-in-a-row chasing Kilkenny.
2. Nicky English
Another All-Ireland winning manager with Tipperary to be linked with the job is Nicky English. Widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers to grace the game, English delivered an All-Ireland and a Munster championship while in charge of Tipp between 1998 and 2002.
Based in Dublin, the 6 time Allstar trained UCD’s FItzgibbon Cup team this year, where they reached the quarter-finals before losing out to UCC. He has been linked with the Tipperary job in the recent past and ruled himself out, citing work commitments.
3. Richie Stakelum
Richie Stakelum has been at Daly’s side since the Clarecastle man took over the Dubs in 2008. The former Tipperary captain also assumed the role of U21 manager with the county from 2009.
Stakelum would bring a great deal of continuity to a new set-up given his key role in the previous one. He won three Munster titles and one All-Ireland as a player with Tipp.
4. Tommy Dunne
A fourth Tipperary man to be linked with the position, Tommy Dunne soldiered under fellow candidate Nicky English during his playing days with the Premier County in a distinguished career. He was Hurler of the Year when Tipp lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 2001 and also won three Allstar awards during his playing days.
At management level, Dunne was a coach with the Tipp U21s who claimed the All-Ireland title in 2010 and the following year was promoted to the senior set-up as part of Declan Ryan’s backroom team. He was involved with Limerick side Na Piarsaigh who reached the All-Ireland club semi-final last February. He also had a coaching role with the Dubs in the past two seasons.
5. Ger Cunningham
Cork’s legendary hurling goalkeeper Ger Cunningham is another whose name has been thrown in the hat for the job. Cunningham won four Allstars and was Hurler of the Year in 1986, as well as winning seven Munster titles and the Liam MacCarthy Cup three times with the Rebels.
In recent years, Cunningham managed Waterford club Ballygunner to a senior hurling county title in 2009 and was appointed selector in Jimmy Barry Murphy’s Cork set-up in 2011. Cunningham stepped down from his position after their All-Ireland final replay defeat to Clare last November.
6. Donal Óg Cusack
Considered an outsider for the position, 37-year-old Cusack is a powerful figure within the game, as the chairman of the Gaelic Players Association and a Sunday Game panelist.
Cusack was openly critical of the coaching structures within his own county a few weeks ago and, while he is not as experienced in management as any of the other contenders, his appointment would undoubtedly give Dublin hurling a much needed shot in the arm.
A two time Allstar, Cusack won five Munster championships and three All-Irelands with Cork.
